Elvis Presley owed his first big hit, 1954's "That’s All Right Mama," to Arthur (Big Boy) Crudup, whose songs were a sturdy template for both electric blues and early rock and roll (Brownie McGhee, B.B. King, and other blues greats often performed them). This 12-track anthology includes that tune, as well as "Mean Ol' Frisco," "I'm in the Mood," "Angel Child," "Death Valley Blues," "Katie Mae," and "I Love Her Just the Same."

"Crudup picked up the guitar in the late 1930s, and his favored playing style was a swinging rhythm strum. Though influenced by the recordings coming out of Chicago and St. Louis, his work always had a loose, country-dance feel. He sang with vibrant good humor, and changed chords as inspiration hit, giving his records a cheerful, exciting energy…. It would be perfectly reasonable to call Crudup's own music rockabilly, since it often shows an affinity with white hillbilly music. Crudup was an influential figure in the blues world of the 1940s, pioneering standards like 'Rock Me, Mama' and 'Mean Ol' 'Frisco'."—Sing Out!